Improvement in grain-separators



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Grain Winnower. No. 31,989.- Patented April 9, .1861..

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Grain WnnQwep,

V`Patnmd April 9,1861;

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LINUS MERRILL, OF JANESV'ILLE, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-SEPARATORS.`

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3l ,989, dated April 9,1861.

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, LINUS MERRILL, of Janesville, in the county of Rockand State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and ImprovedGrain-Separator; and l do hereby declare that` the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the sam e, reference being had to theannexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figurelis a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the' line w x, Fig.2; Fig. 2, a transverse vertical sectionof the same, taken in the line yy, Fig. l.y Fig. 8, a detached plan or top View of the upper screen;Fig. 4, a transverse section of the same, taken in the line z z, Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a simple and efficient machinewhereby foreign substances may be thoroughly separated from grain anddifferent kinds of grain separated from each other, such as oats fromwheat, dac.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a framing which may be constructed in any proper manner tosupport the workingparts of the machine. On the upper part of theframing A there is placed a hopper B, and within the framing A there areplaced three screens C D E, said screens being connected together in azigzag manner, j

the two screens C D being inclined in the saine direction and parallelwith each other, the .screen E being inclined in a reverse direction andconnecting the lower end of screen C with the upper end of screen D, asshown clearly in Fig. l.

Beneath the screens C D E there are placed, respectively, chutes a a c,and the three screens are suspended in the framing by vertical springsCZ. The screens C D are provided, respectively, with longitudinalcentral troughs F G, and the screens aforesaid are divided by obliqueledges or flanges e into a series of smaller screens dit, which allcommunicate with the central troughs F G, as shown at f in Figs. 2 and3, and a chute a is placed beneath each screen uff, as shown clearly inFig. l, the chute d f the uppermost screen u* serving as a conductor tothe screen ct*,i1nmediately below it, and so on. The lower screen D isconstructed precisely the same as the upper one C, the trough G ofscreen D leading into an inclined transverse trough H, which has itsdischarge end projecting from one side of the framing.' The trough F ofscreen C leads into a spout H', which also communicates with trough H.The screen E has a chute c underneath it, the lower end of which isprovided with a discharge-spout g, which projects from the side of theframing A.

J is a curved` blast-spout which. extends from below the lower screen Dand up in front of the framing A and over the top of screen C to withina short distance of the j hopper B.

K is a shaft which is placed in the upper part of the framing A, andfrom which a shaft L is driven, the latter having a wiper h on it, whichacts against a projection i at the side of the upper screen .C and givesa shake motion to the screens C D E.

The grain to be operated upon is placed in the hopper B and the shaft Krotated by any convenient power. The sound grain passes through theseveral screens a* of the upper screen C, while oats and largeimpurities which cannot pass through the screens a* are directed by theledges or Iianges e into the central trough F, and pass from thence intospout l-I, and are discharged from the mmachine through spout H. (Seered arrows, Figs. l and 2.) The chutes a of thescreens d* conduct thegrain to the several screens dit, and the grain passes from the lowerend of screen C on screen E, the good grain passing over screen E andonto the upper part of screen D, through the screens a* of which itpasses, and is discharged into an inclined transverse shaft M, all oatsand other large impurities that might have passed through the Ascreensa* of the upper screen C being separated by the lower screen D,`themeshes vof which areatrifle smaller. Ablast of air is forced through thespout J by the usual fan. This blast effectively separates all lightimpurities from the grain as the latter drops from the hopper B on thescreen C, and the screen E separates the heavy small impurities whichcan pass through the upper screen C and are too heavy to be removed bythe blast troughs F G and chiites a and used in oonfrom spout J.neet-ion with a, screen E, to operate as and for I do not claim,separately, any of the wit-,him described parts; but

Ido claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The screens CD, when subdivided into smaller screens cf, provided with central thepurpose set'forth.

Witnesses:

HIRAM POTTER, E. L. SOOFIELD.

LINUS MERRILL.

